Noah

It was close to midnight when my phone lit up.

I’d been lying in bed staring at the ceiling for over an hour, headphones in, music playing low just to drown out my own thoughts. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the flashes of last night — Daniel’s smirk, my fist connecting, the shock on everyone’s faces.

So when I saw Jackson’s name on the screen, I sat up fast.

“Hey,” I answered, voice low. “You good?”

A pause. Then a bitter laugh. “Define ...